Tracy Scott – #TeamRenewables

At RES, our teams are highly skilled and experts in their fields, helping us to provide maximum output and value for our customers and communities in which we operate. Many of the people leading our activities have been with us from entry level positions and have grown alongside our business.

In this month’s #TeamRenewables we speak to Project Manager Tracy Scott, who has been with RES for 21 years and is currently responsible for delivering battery storage projects across the country.

The Role

Tracy is a project manager in battery storage, responsible for all of the projects in the battery storage portfolio. Responsible for a team of four people, Tracy also works alongside colleagues from across the UK&I and across the globe.

“Working for a global company is a fantastic opportunity because it means we can pull on expert resources from across the world, helping us to remain at the forefront of the renewables industry.”

Career journey

Tracy’s always had an interest in renewable energy and studied a degree in Electro Mechanical Power at Loughborough University, then proceeded to study an MSc in Renewable Energy. With two technical degrees, Tracy went on to join RES as a graduate engineer and worked in various development and construction roles in wind and solar.

As a wind turbine engineer, she became head of wind turbine engineering which was Tracy’s introduction into project and contract management. Soon after, the opportunity came up to move into project management, firstly with onshore wind, then battery storage in 2016. Tracy saw this as an excellent opportunity to transfer her skills and knowledge over to an area she had been interested in for a number of years.

With extensive project management skills from wind and solar, Tracy found these skills easy to transfer over to battery storage. As a chartered electrical engineer, battery storage is heavily electrically based, so she found her skill set was well suited to the role.

A day in the life

As with any project management role, no day is the same for Tracy.

“I have a coordinating role, so I spend a large majority of my time on the phone, arranging and taking meetings, and organising teams and activities.”

In addition to this, she’s involved in strategic planning on a long-term scale – making decisions about battery storage projects, organising people and resources, and ensuring realistic timelines are set.

Tracy and her team can be working across multiple projects at any one time. These projects can be at varying stages, from new sites, like a plot of land that might have grid availability, to planning applications for battery storage sites, through to closing and constructing projects.

Managing so many projects at varying stages is something of a balancing act, but with 21 years of experience, Tracy has learned how to effectively juggle projects and how to prioritise her workload.

“It’s all about knowing what the critical projects are at any one time and the timelines for these, and making sure that I am really organised at all times.”

With the technical knowledge and qualifications, Tracy has worked her way up to a project manager role. She credits those that she has worked with for her experience in project management:

“In my years working at RES, I’ve had fantastic on-the-job training, support and mentoring from other members of the business. I don’t have any project management qualifications, but for years I worked alongside construction managers and project managers who are great at what they do, and I learned so much from them.”

While at RES, Tracy became a Chartered Engineer through the Institution of Engineering and Technology. She had experienced mentors throughout who supported her through the process, and now that she’s gone on to achieve Fellowship, she’s doing the same for others. Tracy currently mentors a number of engineers who are progressing to chartership, and one who is currently working towards Fellowship.

Tracy also helps to inspire young people follow a career in the world of engineering and renewables. She does this by regularly visiting schools to talk to them about her passion for her job and the industry, as one of RES’ STEM ambassadors.

“I love going into schools to talk to kids about what I do and the careers available to young people by learning STEM subjects. We need a new generation of STEM experts in our industry to help achieve net zero and hopefully by telling my story and explaining the route my career took I can help inspire others to follow.

A growing industry

As a key technology within RES’ portfolio, Tracy is involved in business development for battery storage, speaking to investors and key accounts regularly to keep them updated and abreast of the battery storage market and where RES stands within the industry.

Tracy sees her role and RES’ battery storage division growing in the coming years:

“Battery storage is only going to increase over the next 5-10 years as more renewables come onto the network. Battery storage will be required to support the expanding network and as a result it is predicted that there will be an increasing demand for these projects.

“With our projects in the UK and Ireland, we’ve learned from our colleagues across the world and regularly draw on each other’s knowledge and expertise to assist battery storage projects that are at varying stages.”

The future of renewables

When asked what she enjoys most about her job, Tracy says it’s the feeling of doing her part in tackling climate change.

“I enjoy the overall ethos of what we’re striving for. It’s a good feeling to wake up each day and know you’re doing your bit.

“I had a passion for renewables as a teenager, and always strived for a career in sustainability. My university career was working towards the renewables industry, and I fell on my feet when I got the role at RES.”

Has it lived up to expectations?

“It’s exceeded my expectations and much more. When you’re a graduate, you aren’t thinking of the long-term straight away, but I never could have envisaged still being at RES 21 years later and in a role where I genuinely feel like I’m making a difference with a likeminded team who are making great strides in the clean energy industry.”